Some very frank and direct comments from Shemar Stewart, and why he continues to feel he’s 100 percent right to sit out. Clearly very upset and frustrated with Bengals that he is not signed and on the field. pic.twitter.com/WawvWU8QKu

— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) June 10, 2025

Shemar Stewart was something of a polarizing prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Texas A&M defensive lineman was a supremely gifted athlete, testing as well as anyone who has ever played the position. Yet his production was paltry relative to his potential. Stewart was projected anywhere between No. 5 and No. 40 in final mock drafts, with the uncertainty a function of his problematic conflict between potential and production.

The Cincinnati Bengals bought into the potential enough to select Stewart as the No. 17 overall pick. Thus far, the potential with Stewart has been nothing but an increasingly public headache.

Stewart is sitting out the mandatory minicamp this week and has yet to sign his rookie contract. While the value of the contract is predetermined by draft slot, the Bengals are attempting to include unusual stipulations in the deal that would void some later guaranteed money. That’s not something any team, including the Bengals, has tried to do, and it’s led to some harsh words from Stewart.

“I’m 100% right. It should be a no-brainer,” Stewart told reporters. “In Trey’s case it should be a no-brainer, too. … “I’m not asking for nothing y’all have never done before. But y’all (Bengals) just want to win arguments more than winning games in my opinion”

The “Trey” which Stewart is referencing is Bengals star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who is also holding out in a quest for more money. The two sides have been at an impasse that isn’t getting any closer to resolution. But the Stewart situation is more about the Bengals weirdly trying to do something unprecedented with an otherwise standard contract.

The situation is not helping the Bengals get Stewart involved in the defense, which can sorely use his potential. The first-rounder is expected to play a significant role in helping get Cincinnati back in the playoffs after back-to-back 9-8 seasons left them on the outside looking in. Regardless of who might be more in the wrong, it’s a terrible way for Stewart to get his already divisive NFL career started.